


lead me to war (with your brilliant direction)

by thelastjedi



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22023850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelastjedi/pseuds/thelastjedi
Summary: After Leia’s passing, it’s time for the new General to step up. He just needs a little love first.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 60





	lead me to war (with your brilliant direction)

Things were falling apart.

Tensions had already been high on Kef Bir, with Poe and Finn bickering back and forth about how best to move forward after Rey had decided to go it alone to find the Wayfinder in the depths of the second Death Star. Finn was steadfast on following Rey no matter the risks, whereas Poe, while on the same page about sticking by his friends, wanted to take the safer, albeit slower, route.

While Finn and Jannah, a new ally to the Resistance, decided to cross the treacherous waters to help Rey, you had (after a brief moment of deliberation) chosen to stay behind with Poe to work on the alternative route. You loved Finn like a brother and you would _never_ wish him any harm but Poe was… _Poe._ You could never leave him behind.

Despite knowing this, even when you had re-entered the ship after their latest fight, Poe couldn’t fight the relief on his face at the sight of you.

_“Don’t look so surprised, Dameron,” you had joked lightly. “I’d follow you to the edge of the galaxy and back.”_

And now… Now it all seemed like it was for naught.

After an intense fight with Kylo Ren in which the Wayfinder was destroyed, Rey had taken his ship and left the rest of you behind. Where she was going was unclear and the remainders of your team had no choice but to regroup back at the new base on Ajan Kloss, a jungle moon in the Outer Rim.

You figured this would be good for everyone. With help from the others, you could quickly come up with a new plan, find some way to contact Rey, and finally stop the First Order and their ever-growing armada.

Instead, more bad news awaited.

General Organa was gone.

The news hit you square in the chest, making you physically stumble back into Finn’s torso. His comforting hand on your arm was barely felt, your thoughts feeling like pure static in your head. It was strange how someone could be there one minute and then gone the next. It was even stranger when that person was _Leia Organa_. Princess, General, heart of the Resistance. She was so, _so_ many things and to add ‘dead’ to that list just felt… wrong.

Your little group split then, each taking time to themselves to process the news.

Poe and Finn, the new Generals, wandered off to their respective areas silently. You had found yourself a quiet spot in the jungle, one that Rey usually frequented for her training, emotions bubbling over in the form of tears and desperate wails. You allowed yourself the privilege of grieving, of _feeling_ , for a few moments more before you finally wiped the wetness from your eyes with your sleeve and breathed in a shaky breath.

You had to find Poe.

If you felt you were close with Leia, her bond with Poe was even stronger. You knew he would be taking it hard; harder than most. He always did when it came to losses. He felt things too strongly, loved too hard.

You supposed you were both similar in that regard.

Sniffling as you walked around the quiet base, you allowed yourself to run on autopilot, sharing grim smiles with passersby, getting a tight hug from Chewie which almost made you sob all over again, and eventually ending up outside Leia’s quarters.

Slowly peeling back the curtains, you saw him. He was facing the bed, where her body still lay, covered in a white sheet, hunched over with his head in his hands.

You had heard that Leia had used her remaining energy to call out to her son, to Kylo, through the Force. You weren’t sure if it had any impact on him, and quite frankly, you weren’t sure he deserved it. But Leia believed.

And she died for it.

“Poe,” you spoke softly, cautiously entering the room like he was a frightened animal that could scurry off at a moment’s notice.

“I can’t believe she’s gone,” was his simple reply, quiet and broken.

A soft sigh left your lips as you rushed forward, kneeling next to his chair and placing a hand on his knee.

“I know,” you agreed with your brows furrowed together. “She’s… She’s the last person you would expect to die. The energy she gave off was like… It was like she was immortal.”

Poe chuckled quietly in agreement and you considered it progress.

“I know how close you two were,” your grip on his leg tightened. “And I know how much you wish you could just… curl up and forget about everything going on out there, because I feel the _exact_ same way… but we can’t stop now. We’ve lost a lot, but we can still do what needs to be done. We can still _win_.”

A slow nod was the only response he gave, head lifting until your eyes finally met. Much like your own, his eyes were rimmed with red, unshed tears still shining in them.

“She made me acting General,” he said, though he knew you were already aware. “I don’t want to let her down.”

“Hey,” a small smile crossed your lips, hands reaching up to cup either side of his face. Your thumb brushed absent-mindedly against his skin in a soothing motion, causing his eyes to flutter shut briefly. “Leia believed in you and so do I. She wouldn’t have left this to you if she didn’t think you were ready, if she didn’t think you were _capable_.”

Rising to your knees, you reached closer to press your forehead to his. The touch grounded him, kept him focused on why he continued to fight every day. His hands were quick to find your waist, tightly gripping onto the material of your shirt.

“You’re the perfect person for this job,” you continued, nose bumping gently against his own. “You choose right over wrong. You never give up. When it’s dark, you try to bring some light. I can’t think of a more worthy successor to _the_ Leia Organa.”

There was a pause as you allowed your words to sink in. Poe shot a glance over your shoulder to Leia before his eyes returned to yours. A watery grin took over his face, a few tears that had been building up finally dropping down his cheeks. You pressed your lips to his in a gentle kiss.

“You always know how to make me feel better, huh?” he asked in disbelief.

“Well,” your hand moved to the back of his neck, toying with the curls that rested there. “I can’t have you doubting yourself, can I?”

Poe huffed an amused breath, closing the gap for another kiss. “I guess we’d better get moving,” he said, radiating nervous (but slightly more confident) energy. “What do you say, sweetheart?”

“I’d follow you to the edge of the galaxy and back, General Dameron.”


End file.
